Electro-optical device, method of manufacturing the same, and electronic apparatus

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device having a curved display surface with high reliability is provided. A liquid crystal panel 100 comprising a TFT array substrate 10 and a counter substrate 20, each composed of a glass substrate or a quartz substrate, is thinned down to, for example, a thickness of 25 μm by a polishing process or an etching process. Subsequently, a first polarizing plate 140, first spacers 260, the liquid crystal panel 100, second spacers 270, and a second polarizing plate 150 are superposed on a base 210 having a curved surface 220 in this order, and then the outer circumference of the second polarizing plate 150 is pressed against the base 210 while curving the second polarizing plate 150 along the curved surface 220 of the base 210. Then, in order to maintain such a curved state, the second polarizing plate 150 is fixed to the base 210 by a double-faced tape 280.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an electro-optical device in which an electro-optical material is held in a substrate, an electronic apparatus using the same, and a method of manufacturing the electro-optical device. [0003] 2. Description of Related Art [0004] In general, in electro-optical devices, such as liquid crystal devices and organic electro-luminescent display device, an electro-optical material is held by an electro-optical device substrate, and various images are displayed on a substantially central region of the substrate, which is an image display region. [0005] In recent years, the development of the new type of display device having an electro-optical device in which its display surface is curved has been required. Complying with such requirements, it has been suggested that a flexible polymer film is used as an electro-optical device substrate such that the electro-optical device substrate can be curved...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] In the present invention, from the fact that a sheet-shaped electro-optical device substrate can be curved although the substrate is made of a hard material, a thin glass substrate or quartz substrate is used as the electro-optical device substrate, and the substrate is curved along the curved surface of the first member. Therefore, it is possible to provide an electro-optical device having a curved display surface. In addition, since the electro-optical device substrate is a thin plate made of a hard material, such as a glass substrate or a quartz substrate, the electro-optical device substrate has high weather resistance and heat resistance. Thus, it is possible to realize an electro-optical device having a curved display surface with high reliability.

[0013] In the present invention, the electro-optical device substrate and a second member are superposed on the curved surface of the first member in this order, and the second member is fixed to the first member at the outside of an outer circumference of the electro-optical device substrate in a state in which the outer circumference of the electro-optical device substrate is pressed against the first member, so that the electro-optical device substrate is maintained in a curved state. With such a structure, the electro-optical device substrate is not adhered and fixed to other members, such as polarizing plates. Therefore, when curving the electro-optical device substrate, a large stress is not directly transmitted from the electro-optical device substrate to the polarizing plate at the central part of the electro-optical device substrate used as an image display region. In addition, a large stress is not directly transmitted from the polarizing plate to the electro-optical device substrate. Thus, even when curving the electro-optical device substrate made of a hard material, defects do not occur in sheet-shaped optical components, such as the electro-optical device substrate and the polarizing plates superposed thereon. Further, when curving the electro-optical device substrate after the polarizing plate adheres to the electro-optical device substrate using an adhesive, the stress at that time is concentrated on the central part, which results in the separation of the polarizing plate, the lowering of the performance of the polarizing plate, the variation of the gap between substrates in a liquid crystal panel, etc. In addition, the electro-optical device substrate constituting the liquid crystal panel may split in the direction in which the stress is applied.

[0020] In the present invention, when the electro-optical device further comprises a light source for emitting light toward the first member, the first member is made of a transmissive material, and is used as a light guide plate for transmitting light emitted from the light source toward the electro-optical device substrate through the curved surface, which is a light exit surface. When the electro-optical device is a transmissive or transflective liquid crystal device, a backlight unit is provide on the rear side of the liquid crystal panel. In this case, when the liquid crystal panel is curved, light emitted from the backlight unit is non-uniformly incident on the liquid crystal panel. As a result, a bright region and a dark region are formed on the image display surface of the electro-optical device. However, according to the present invention, since the first member is used as the light guide plate, uniform light can be emitted toward the entire surface of the electro-optical device substrate through the first member, which is the light guide plate. Therefore, it is possible to display a high-quality image without the bright region and the dark region on the image display surface of the electro-optical device.

Problems solved by technology

However, when a polymer film is used as an electro-optical device substrate, the reliability of an electro-optical device deteriorates because the polymer film has low weather resistance ard heat resistance.

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